


The First Refuge

by Dellessa



Series: Pursuit [3]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-20
Updated: 2014-03-20
Packaged: 2018-01-16 10:08:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1343605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dellessa/pseuds/Dellessa





	The First Refuge

_“Violence is the first refuge of the violent.”  
~Aaron Allston _

_Cybertron. Near the beginning of the war._

Arcturus was a calm spark. He was not generally prone to the more high-strung antics that most Seeker’s tended to display. Still he was spoiled. His creator doted on him as much as his brothers did. He was their little sweet-spark, their angel. It wasn’t possible for any of them to love him more dearly. That still did not prevent him from driving them up the wall with his demands for his Creator. He whined, he screamed, demanding to see him, and finally Nebuladust snapped, “Oh, for the love of Primus, go ask your progenitor. I’m sure he is well aware of where he is keeping our creator.” 

Arcturus’ optics widened, and they all knew better than to ask him what he was doing. It was clear when he nearly ran to the war-room. 

The other Seekers looked at each other, optics wide in alarm. This could not bode well, and yet they were too late. They could already hear the beginning of his tirade and watched in horror as the diminutive little Seeker crossed the room, his voice high and screechy as his creator’s ever was, obviously cut with emotion. “Where is he? I want my creator now,” he stomped his peds more like a sparkling than the young mech he had grown into. “Where did you take him? Where is my creator? I want him. Now. Where is he?” His voice rose in that high-pitched whine that only young children can manage. “Where is he you...you stupid groundpounder,” he yelled, “You don’t even deserve to be with my creator, you don’t deserve to be with a Seeker. I hate you.” 

“Foolish child.” Megatron stopped, his eyes flashing a murderous red. It brightened as the child continued to yell, in front of his generals. His hand flashed out, striking the little mech and sending him flying. Time seemed to stretch out into infinity. The mechling hit the floor. There was moment of total quiet before chaos broke out in the room. The Seekers as one let out an unearthly shriek, and charged towards Megatron, Nebuladust leading the pack, his trine mates close behind. Megatron would not have survived the mob of twelve Seekers that fell upon him had he not been in the room with his most loyal of generals. As it was, Soundwave and Obsidian waded in and fished Megatron out, the rest subdued the Seekers. 

Arcturus had used the earlier confusion to run out of the room, he did not wait around to see the outcome of the brawl. As young as he was, he was not as imprudent as his older siblings. Skywarp and Thundercracker ushered the children down into the citadal, all four of them waiting it out in the twins’ own suite. Not for the first time Arcturus was relieved by his creator’s foresight of making sure their door did not have a security override. They were trapped inside, but no one would be coming in either.

Back in the war-room Megatron was fuming. The seekers had finally been suppressed, but his rage had not abated. Still his mind was working fast, thinking of how to turn this all to his advantage. “Bring Starscream from the Brig,” he barked, his eyes falling on Obsidian. Megatron’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he finally sat upon his throne and waited for the general’s return with his erstwhile mate. 

His wait was not long, Obsidian returned, nearly dragging the Seeker behind him. Megatron watched him for a moment, curious. He knew that Starscream was weak, his energon levels far too low. “Sit,” he barked, pointing to a spot at his feet. It was not so uncommon for Megatron to humiliate him in such a way. “Such a worthless, slagging, piece of scrap of a Seeker,” he snapped even as Starscream complied, and nearly winced at the painful grip of Megatron’s hand on his shoulder. “Look,” he added, pointing up. Starscream flinched as he took in the Seekers that were trussed up and hanging from the metal ceiling beams. “This is your fault,” he hissed, his grip on Starscream increasing until the metal itself dented. “Cut down the ringleaders,” he barked before leaning in nearly whispering. “You have a choice. Your progeny have been so kind as to attack me. High-treason, my little seeker, is punishable by deactivation.” He smiled faintly as he felt Starscream flinch. “You can, however, save them if you so choose. Take down the protocols and your firewalls, and give me what I want. Three seekers, surely the price is not too high.” He smiled grew. “Three sparklings for each, and I will spare their lives.”

“Don’t do it,” Nebula screamed. “He hit Arcturus, creator. Please don’t do it. I would rather die.” 

Megatron hauled Starscream into his lap, already knowing what reaction his decree would result in. “Very well. Dismantle them.” He said in a cold tone, ready for when Starscream began to struggle against him, begging and pleading for his child’s life. “You will watch.” Megatron murmured into Starscream’s audios. “This is your doing,” he hissed. “Treacherous little Seeker, you are not a worthy mate. You cannot control your own sparks, and look what it has come to.”

“Please don’t do this. Please. I will do anything. Please don’t.” 

“You will anyway.” Megatron murmured. “You forget you are mine.” Megatron’s digits ran along the edge of Starscream’s nearest wing. His grip tightened suddenly, making Starscream wince, and then scream as the metal bent. Panic welled up in Starscreams spark as he did the same to the other wing, grounding the Seeker until they would be repaired. “How does it feel?” Megatron whispered. “How much worse would it be if I ripped them off?” 

Starscream keened, watching the destruction of Nebuladust and his trine. They put up a brave front. Did not cry out. 

“Please.” Starscream whimpered, the struggle going out of him as his child’s spark lost its light.

“This is all your fault, my little seeker. You make me hurt them. You could make things easy for us all but you cannot seem to do that, can you? You seem to forget you are my mate. You are not fulfilling your duty and I tire of it. I tire of it and my patience grows thin. Perhaps I should start killing off your precious offspring. One at a time while you watch. ” Megatron smirked, “Cut the rest down and take the lot of them down to the brig.” Megatron looked at the rest of his generals, “We shall finish this later.” He stood abruptly, dragging Starscream along as he went. 

“I will not tolerate such disobedience again.” Megatron hissed once they were out of earshot of the generals and headed towards Megatron’s own private quarters. “Next time I will not be so kind, and I will kill them all. Do you understand me?” 

Starscream just looked at him mutely, too wound up in his own grief. His child, his brave, wonderful child was gone. His spark contracted painfully. “His body...there are mourning trad---”

“Which you will not practice.” Megatron snapped. He keyed in the code once they reached his own door, and pushed Starscream inside. 

“Plea---”

Megatron grabbed him once the door was shut, dragging him to the berth. “Sit.” His eyes narrowed. Already reaching for something at the end of the berth, he grabbed Starscream’s ankle, and slapped a shackle around it. “I suggest you behave, unless you want trussed up on the berth itself.” He said through narrow optics, nearly smiling with the horrified look that flit across the Seeker’s features. “And do your duty,” he said, his tone darkening.

Starscream would have moved away, but the chain on his ankle essentially hobbled him making it impossible for him to flee. 

Megatron’s smile grew, which only made panic well up inside Starscream’s processor. It did not bode well for him. Starscream tried to scramble away, but Megatron shoved him forcefully down onto the berth, stunning Starscream for a moment. Megatron laughed, holding Starscream down as he straddled his hips. “Perhaps we should start now,” he murmured darkly, his digits already snaking out to grab one of Starscream’s already damaged wings. 

Starscream arched up, screaming as the metal crumpled beneath Megatrons digits. “Such a lovely sound.” Megatron murmured. 

Starscream whimpered for a moment, his optics unfocused as he looked up at the ceiling and distanced himself with what was happening to his body.

OoOoOoOo

Shootingstar sighed, uncomfortable in the disguise he had co-opted to meet the twins. “I need your help.” 

Sideswipe’s browridge rose and he leaned forward. “You have only to say the word, little brother.” 

“It’s not that easy. I can’t just...I need help getting Arcturus out. I can’t leave them with him. Megatron will kill him eventually. He’s already...the others are dead.” he choked it back, feeling lost for a moment in his grief. It was overwhelming at times. “Nebuladust...oh, Primus, I don’t even have words for it. They dismantled him while he was still alive, and his trine as well. Solarnight and Swiftwind...offlined themselves.” Suicide was not a common thing among their kind. The worst of sins. “It’s just me and the little twins, and I don’t know how much longer I...” he offlined his optics. “Novalight is with spark, if it gets out he will be deactivated. Megatron has forbidden any of us from having sparks during the war. Not that that applies to himself.”

Sunstreaker scowled, looking outraged, “And our creator just sat there and let it happen?” His optics darkened. “Stupid piece of Slag.”

“It’s not like that.” Shootingstar said.

“How? He’s let that monster murder his children.”

Shootingstar shook his head, “You don’t understand. It...trust me when I say it is not his fault. He has done the best that he can.”

Sides sighed and considered their options. “Fake your deaths then? That is what we are going to have to do.”

Shooter grinned, “You read my mind. And then sneak back and grab the twins. Do you have any contacts that could get us off-world?”

“We will take care of if.” Sides said touching his younger brother’s hand. “I promise.” He looked to Sunny who only nodded in agreement. “Just be ready for it.”

“I think...I have an idea. There is supposed to be a raid on one of the energon plant’s outside of Ianoc. We can set up an explosion, make it look...well you know.” 

Sunstreaker nodded, “Oh, we know. Send us the co-ordinates and we will take care of the rest.”

“I knew I could count on you.”

OoOoOoOo

Starscream curled in on himself, his spark feeling as though it was being ripped asunder. Megatron watched his mate’s misery and it was all he could do not to roll his optics. He was, admittedly furious when he first discovered Arcturus was missing. At first. He was replaceable, to him at least. He had been brought up too soft, and was near useless to his cause. “We will make more, stop working yourself into this frenzy,” he snapped, having enough out it. “We will have more.”

“How can you even say that?” Starscream asked, his voice breaking. 

“None of them were helping the cause.” Megatron snarled. “They were too coddled and soft-sparked. You might as well have given me a bunch of Autobots.” 

Starscream nearly choked on that, they should have been. None of them had been hard hearted or inclined to violence, even Megaera who was quite similar to her progenitor in temper if nothing else. Her anger, however, had always been directed towards Megatron. “They aren’t replaceable.” 

“I can assure you they are, and they will be.” 

Starscream shook himself off mentally. He felt dead inside. “I can assure you. They never will be. Do you think I would let you destroy another life like this, ever?”

Megatron snorted. “I do believe, if anyone, you should be blaming your eldest sparks. They were thoughtless enough of familial ties to take Shootingstar’s life, and his trine-mates’ as well. Slagging Autobots. That is who you should be angry with.”

Starscream watched him for a moment, hate blossoming from deep within his spark. “It wouldn’t have been like this. You...it’s just you. You started this war.” Starscream watched Megatron, it felt as thought there was ice water in his coolant system. If he did anything with the rest of his life he would see this mech destroyed.


End file.
